U.S. patent number 8,180,675 [Application Number 09/742,527] was granted by the patent office on 2012-05-15 for system and method for automatically managing avail inventory data and avail pricing.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Prime Research Alliance E., Inc.. Invention is credited to John P. Blasko, Charles A. Eldering.
United States Patent |
8,180,675 |
Blasko , et al. |
May 15, 2012 |
System and method for automatically managing avail inventory data
and avail pricing
Abstract
A system, computer code, and method are provided for
automatically managing avail inventory data of media programming
streams for a communications network, such as a cable TV network.
The computer-implemented method includes the steps of correlating
available addressable units of the communications network with the
avail inventory data, and generating a proposed price for purchase
of at least one avail based on the results of the correlating
step.
Inventors: |
Blasko; John P. (New Hope,
PA), Eldering; Charles A. (Doylestown, PA) |
Assignee: |
Prime Research Alliance E.,
Inc. (VG)
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Family
ID: |
26922994 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/742,527 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2000 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20020083444 A1 |
Jun 27, 2002 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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60229156 |
Aug 31, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.69;
705/14.66; 725/35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N
21/25883 (20130101); H04H 60/06 (20130101); G06Q
30/0273 (20130101); H04N 21/47 (20130101); G06Q
30/0269 (20130101); H04N 21/812 (20130101); H04N
21/454 (20130101); H04H 60/63 (20130101); H04N
7/17354 (20130101); H04N 7/17363 (20130101); H04N
21/26233 (20130101); H04N 21/42684 (20130101); G06Q
30/02 (20130101); H04N 21/2668 (20130101); H04H
60/66 (20130101); H04N 21/25891 (20130101); H04N
5/44543 (20130101); H04N 21/26241 (20130101); H04N
7/165 (20130101); H04N 21/4532 (20130101); H04N
21/478 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06Q
30/00 (20120101); H04N 7/10 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;705/14.1-14.73 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
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Primary Examiner: Retta; Yehdega
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Carlineo, Spicer & Kee, LLC
Parent Case Text
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 60/229,156 filed on Aug. 31, 2000, owned by the
same assignee of the present invention and entitled "Method and
System for Addressable and Program Independent Advertising," which
is herein fully incorporated by reference.
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A computer-implemented method for managing avail inventory data
of media programming streams for a communications network, the
method comprising: (a) receiving, by a computer, a market segment
selection from a user; (b) obtaining a record of available
addressable units, wherein said available addressable units are
characterized as belonging to said selected market segment; (c)
obtaining an inventory of avails corresponding to said available
addressable units; and (d) generating, by the computer, a proposed
price for avails in said inventory of avails, wherein said proposed
price is dependent on said market segment selection.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said proposed price further
depends on a particular programming slot to which each of the
avails corresponds.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein each particular programming slot
corresponds to a program.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: (e) determining the
likelihood that a generic viewer in said market segment will watch
said program to which each of the avails corresponds.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said proposed price further
depends on said likelihood.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said proposed price further
depends on the time that each particular programming slot
occurs.
7. The method of claim 3, wherein said proposed price for each of
the avails further depends on the corresponding programming slot
and the corresponding program.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user selects at least one of
the avails for purchase from said inventory of avails.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (e) receiving a
purchase request from the user for the purchase of at least one of
the avails from said inventory of avails.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating a proposed price
occurs prior to selecting ads to be displayed in said avails of
said inventory of avails.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the avails corresponds
to a particular programming slot.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein said proposed price further
depends on the number of avails that said user purchases.
13. A computer-implemented method for managing avail inventory data
of media programming streams for a communications network, the
method comprising: (a) receiving, by a computer, a programming
selection from a user; (b) obtaining an inventory of avails
corresponding to said programming selection; (c) obtaining a
listing of available addressable units for avails in the inventory
of avails corresponding to said programming selection; and (d)
generating, by the computer, a price for said avails corresponding
to said programming selection based at least in part on the
available addressable units.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: (e) receiving a
market segment from said user.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein said listing of addressable
units only includes those addressable units that are within said
market segment.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein said price for said avails
further depends on whether the addressable unit corresponding to
the respective avail is within said market segment.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to television advertising and, more
particularly, to a system, computer code and method for
automatically managing avail inventory data and avail pricing for a
communications network.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Television service providers (e.g., broadcast TV networks, cable TV
networks) allocate a limited number of advertisement spots (or
"avails" hereinafter) for each television channel or program within
a certain time duration. These avails or the time slots in the
channels (i.e., day part and channel) corresponding to these avails
are sold to advertisers who want to advertise their products and/or
services.
Typically, sales representatives from the television service
provider solicit sale of avails/time slots from media agencies,
business owners, or any entity interested in advertising
(hereinafter "advertiser"). The sales representatives contact
advertisers who might be interested in placing their advertisements
in these time slots. To persuade the advertiser to purchase certain
avails/time slots, the sales representatives may present to the
advertiser statistical and geo-demographic data indicating that the
viewers of the TV programs tied to these avails can be the
advertiser's potential customers.
Once the advertisers decide to purchase a particular avail or
multiple avails (or time slots), the sales representatives report
the purchase agreements back to the central office at the
television service network. The details of the purchase agreements
are manually entered into the main computer at the central office
for billing and accounting purposes. Then the clerks at the central
office schedule the insertion of the advertisements into the avails
of television programming streams based on these purchase
agreements.
The advertisements of these advertisers are inserted into the
purchased avails of television programming streams at a head end of
the television service providing system, and the television
programming streams with the inserted advertisements are broadcast
to all subscribers of the television service network. Because the
advertisements are tied to the specific channels and/or programs,
any viewer who is tuned to the particular channel or program will
see the inserted advertisements. However, the displayed
advertisements may not draw the interests of all those viewers who
are watching the channel since different viewers have varying
interests, hobbies, backgrounds, and preferences. Therefore, this
type of TV advertising has limited effectiveness.
With modern digital television service methods such as switched
digital video (SDV) systems (in which television service is
received over the telephone lines) via very high speed digital
subscriber line (VDSL) which utilizes the concept of addressable
set top boxes (STBs) which are coupled to the front end of the
subscriber's television and process the data stream before
forwarding a channel to the television, more personalized service
is now available. For instance, two-way communication between the
subscriber's set top box and the service provider via the network
is possible. Further, the service provider can send different data
to different subscribers. In telephone line based systems such as
SDV, the service provider can actually send different information
to any individual subscriber. In many digital cable systems,
different data can be sent to different groups of subscribers,
e.g., through addressable STBs or cable nodes serving several
hundred subscriber households.
Using these modern digital television service systems, targeted TV
advertising with increased effectiveness is possible. In accordance
with one targeted TV advertising method, advertisements that have
been prepared to interest particular subscribers of the television
service network are inserted into the avails of the television
programming stream for those particular subscribers, so that
different subscribers of the same television program may view
different advertisements that are particularly directed to them.
PCT Patent Publication No. WO 99/66719 entitled "Techniques for
Intelligent Video Ad Insertion," which is herein incorporated by
reference, discloses at least one such scheme. Other such schemes
are discussed in parent Provisional Patent Application No.
60/229,156.
Even in such advertising systems, however, the television service
providers still sell and manage the avails/time slots through
personal contact (e.g., via sales representatives) as it is done in
conventional TV advertising systems. This conventional avail
management process, unfortunately, can be extremely time consuming
and inefficient for a number of reasons. For example, it requires
person-to-person communication between the sales representatives
and advertisers. The sales representatives must spent much time and
energy in preparing their presentations so that the advertisers
would be interested in purchasing the avails/time slots. Further,
the sales representatives must communicate all avail purchase
agreements back to the central office. All this requires time and
energy on the part of the sales representatives. Moreover, the
conventional avail management process is prone to human error
because the sales representatives must communicate the details of
the purchase agreements back to the central office, which are
entered into the main computer manually. In addition, the use of
the conventional process inconveniences the advertisers because
they have to adhere to the schedule of the sales representative in
order to purchase avails and to inquire into the availability and
pricing of the avails.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a
technique by which advertising and sale of avails can be
automated-to expedite the avail management process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a
computerized avail management technique for use with targeted
television advertising schemes.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a
computer-implemented method and system for automatically managing
avail inventory data and avail pricing for a communications network
such as a cable TV network.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a computer
program product for managing avail inventory data and determining
avail prices for advertiser-preferred market segments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a computer interface between an advertiser
and a communications network operator, such as a cable TV network
operator. In accordance with one embodiment, this interface is an
avail management system for automatically managing avail inventory
data and avail pricing for the network. The system may execute a
series of computer programs to interact with the advertiser and to
provide various analyses to the advertiser regarding advertising
opportunities with the network.
In accordance with one embodiment, a communications network (e.g.,
a television service network such as a cable TV network) can
transmit different TV programs or advertisements to different
subscribers or groups of subscribers on the network. This can be
accomplished by selectively addressing set top boxes or cable nodes
assigned to these subscribers or groups of subscribers. The
addressable set top boxes or cables nodes are also referred to
herein as addressable units.
In accordance with one embodiment, the avail management system is
applicable to any media program service system using addressable
units, such as digital cable systems, switched digital video (SDV)
systems, digital broadcast satellite (DBS) systems, the Internet,
etc.
The avail management system may include a user interface device and
a correlation & analysis module, all operatively coupled. The
user interface device, such as a personal computer (PC), receives a
user's (advertiser's) inputs and communicates them to the
correlation & analysis module. The user interface device may be
installed with a computer program that allows an advertiser to
select certain segment characteristics (e.g., income level, gender,
etc.) to define an advertiser-preferred market segment. The
correlation & analysis module receives the advertiser-preferred
market segment from the user interface device and may perform a
number of different analyses, including, but not limited to, an
analysis of available addressable units on the network for
displaying ads, an analysis of available avails that correspond to
the available addressable units, and an analysis of avail pricing
for providing proposed prices of the avails. Through the user
interface device, the advertiser can also select certain
price-varying parameters (e.g., number of households in the
addressable units) so as to receive different pricing for different
avail selections. In addition, the avail management system performs
avail purchase procedures so that the advertiser can purchase the
avails through the system without any or minimal human
intervention.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be set
forth in part in the description and the drawings which follow,
and, in part, will be obvious from the description or may be
learned by practice of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an avail management system according
to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are flowcharts illustrating the processing steps
involved in a computer-implemented avail management method
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an example of a screen displaying a list of segment
characteristics selectable by a user according to the present
invention;
FIG. 4 is an example of a geographical map identifying available
addressable units according to the present invention; and
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the present specification, a "user" refers to an advertiser, an
agent of an advertiser, an operator sales representative, a media
planner, a media agency or any individual or entity interested in
purchasing avails offered by media programming service networks
such as broadcast TV networks, Internet service networks, cable TV
networks, digital broadcast satellite TV networks, etc.
"Addressable units" refer to units assigned to each subscriber or a
group of subscribers of the media programming service networks,
which are selectively addressable by the programming service
network. The addressable units may include, but are not limited to,
individually addressable set top boxes (STBs) or addressable nodes
on the network corresponding to a plurality of subscriber
households. In certain types of known television service systems
such as switched digital video (SDV), which is delivered over the
phone lines, each subscriber household is individually addressable.
Accordingly, each individual subscriber household comprises an
addressable unit. In other known television service systems such as
most present digital cable television communication networks,
addressability resolution exists only down to the network node
level. Typically, each network node services several hundred
households.
Now, referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the
present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram
of an avail management system according to a preferred embodiment
of the present invention. This system or a portion thereof may
reside at the side of any media programming service network (e.g.,
a cable TV network) having addressable units discussed above. For
example, this system or a portion thereof may reside at the head
end (i.e., central office) of modern television service networks,
e.g., VDSL, digital cable, DBS, or SDV networks. Parent Provisional
Application No. 60/229,156 describes in detail some modern
television service networks using addressable units, including the
above-identified types of networks.
As shown in FIG. 1, the avail management system 100 includes a
correlation & analysis module 10, a plurality of databases
21-25, and a user interface device 30, all operatively coupled.
The user interface device 30 functions as an interface between the
correlation & analysis module 10 and the user. It receives
user's inputs, and processes and directs the received inputs to the
correlation & analysis module 10. It also receives any outputs
from the correlation & analysis module 10 and communicates the
received outputs to the user via a display device. The user
interface device 30 may be a computer such as a PC, a lap top, a
handheld, etc., which may include a display device capable of
displaying graphics and text, an input device such as a keyboard, a
mouse, and/or an optical pen, a CPU (central processing unit) for
executing computer programs, and a memory for storing data therein.
The user interface 30 may communicate with the correlation &
analysis module 10 over a communications network such as the
Internet, an intranet, etc.
The correlation & analysis module 10 receives a user's inputs
from the user interface device 30, and processes them. The
correlation & analysis module 10 includes computer software for
executing various algorithms using data stored in the databases
21-25 and user inputs. These algorithms include, but are not
limited to, correlation algorithms for correlating different data
(e.g., user's input data with stored data), optimization algorithms
for finding solutions to optimization problems, and pricing
algorithms for determining prices given various parameters and/or
restrictions. Such algorithms are well known in the art and can be
implemented using computer programs.
The correlation & analysis module 10 can output the results of
the execution of these algorithms to the user interface device 30
for display to the user. These results can be displayed in a
variety of different ways, e.g., in graphs, charts, texts,
drawings, maps, tables or any combination thereof. The correlation
& analysis module 10 can also update or store new data in the
databases 21-25.
In accordance with one embodiment, the first database 21 may store
data pertaining to all addressable units (e.g., STBs or cable
nodes) of the television service provider.
The addressable unit data may include, but are not limited to,
names and addresses of subscribers corresponding to the addressable
units, billing and subscription information for the subscribers,
etc.
The second database 22 may store geo-demographic data identifying
geo-demographic characteristics of each household, neighborhood or
group of neighborhoods in the network territory. These
characteristics may include, but are not limited to, average
income, average age, dominant race, etc. Currently, several
marketing firms provide such geo-demographic data. For example,
Claritas Inc. has a database of different neighborhoods or groups
of neighborhoods in the country with identified geo-demographic
characteristics, which is searchable by using zip code+4
identifiers. In the Claritas system, the probablalistic
geo-demographic characteristics of any individual residing in the
country can be identified by entering the zip code+4 information
found in the mailing address of the individual.
The third database 23 may store TV program viewership data
identifying the types or names of TV programs that people in each
neighborhood or groups of neighborhoods in the country tend to
watch. Marketing firms and other research companies provide such
data. For example, the Claritas system can identify the types or
names of TV programs that individuals in certain neighborhoods tend
to watch. The TV program viewership data may further identify other
program data, such as the average viewing time for each program in
these neighborhoods. In accordance with one embodiment, the program
viewership data may be identified using zip code+4 identifiers.
The fourth database 24 may store avail inventory data identifying a
list of avails designated by the network. The avail inventory data
may identify the duration of each of the avails, general or
specific presentation time for the avails, channels or programs
which may be associated with the avails, purchase status of the
avails, etc. The avail inventory data may further identify the
names, addresses, and other information directed to the purchasers
of the avails, details of the avail purchase agreements, etc.
The fifth database 25 may store therein pricing data usable in
determining different prices for avails. In one embodiment, the
pricing data are set by the programming service network in advance.
In another embodiment, the pricing data may be systematically
updated depending on interest rates, time of year (e.g., different
rates for holidays), etc. The pricing data may include, but are not
limited to, a list of base prices for different avails, and price
adjustment data for adjusting the base prices in view of price
varying factors, such as the duration of the avails, presentation
time for the avails, channel and/or program associated with the
avails, etc. In accordance with one embodiment, the base prices for
the avails may be adjusted (e.g., discounted or increased) in view
of certain factors, such as a total number of avails being
purchased by the user, the size of available addressable units
selected by the user, correlation index for the selected avails and
available addressable units, application of avail discounts, etc.
In one application, the pricing adjusting data may include a list
of amounts in dollars, which may be subtracted or added to the
selected base price in view of the price varying factors.
It should be understood by those of skill in the art that the data
and information stored in the databases 21-25 may be combined in a
variety of ways so that one or more databases can store such data
therein. For example, the addressable unit data stored in the first
database 21 may be correlated with the geo-demographic data stored
in the second database 22 such that one database stores therein
addressable unit data associated with the geo-demographic data.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are flowcharts illustrating the processing steps
involved in a computer-implemented avail management method
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The
processing steps shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be implemented in the
system shown in FIG. 1, and may be performed by executing computer
programs in the correlation & analysis module 10 and/or user
interface device 30.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present method,
if the user is interested in analyses of market segment, avail
inventory and avail pricing, the user can approach the user
interface device 30 and receive complete analyses of the user's
preferred market segment, availability of avails, and avail pricing
adjusted to fit the needs of the user. The user can also purchase
avails through the user interface device 30.
As shown in FIG. 2A, in Step S10, when the user approaches the user
interface device 30, a screen or computer page for defining the
user-preferred market segment is presented on a display device,
such as a monitor of the user interface device 30. The monitor may
display a screen listing a number of different segment
characteristics from which the user can select using an input
device (e.g., a mouse, an optical pen, a keyboard) of the user
interface device 30. The segment characteristics may include, but
are not limited to, age, gender, income range, occupation type,
household size, race/ethnic background, and/or marital/children
status.
The user selects appropriate segment characteristics from the
computer screen to form his or her preferred market segment. The
user may rely on consumer survey data or other behavioral data in
identifying the segment characteristics which best reflect the
characteristics of the likely buyers of the advertised products or
services.
In Step S12, the market segment characteristics selected by the
user are transferred from the user interface device 30 to the
correlation & analysis module 10.
In Step S14, the correlation & analysis module 10 correlates
the received segment characteristics with the addressable unit data
stored in the first database 21 using the geo-demographic data
stored in the second database 22, and identifies those addressable
units with the segment characteristics selected by the user. This
may be accomplished as follows. The correlation & analysis
module 10 may execute correlation programs which search the second
database 22 for neighborhoods or groups of neighborhoods
manifesting the segment characteristics selected by the user. The
search results may indicate a list of neighborhoods or groups of
neighborhoods with correlation indexes indicating the strength of
these correlations. As discussed above, these neighborhoods or
groups thereof may be identified by zip code+4 data. Then, the zip
code+4 data of all addressable units in the network, which are
stored in the first database 21, are compared with those of the
identified neighborhoods or groups thereof to find addressable
units in the network which have the segment characteristics
selected by the user.
In Step S16, a determination is made whether or not the identified
addressable units or any portion thereof is actually available for
addressing by the user. There may exist several reasons why the
television service network may not want to allow all identified
addressable units to be available to the user. One reason may be to
distribute or share "highly desirable" avails among a maximum
number of advertisers so as to satisfy as many advertisers as
possible. "Highly desirable" avails are avails highly sought by the
advertisers because they have a higher return, e.g., due to a high
number of viewers or high income viewers associated with such
avails. For instance, avails for showing during the Monday Night
Football may be more valuable and sought after by the advertisers
than avails for showing during the Jerry Springer Show, because
more people and perhaps, higher income people, watch the Monday
Night Football than the Jerry Springer show. Furthermore, the
sharing of "highly desirable" avails may be an efficient way to
allocate limited avails with a return of maximum profit. Thus, it
can benefit both the advertisers and the television service
provider.
The television service provider may set certain criteria for
determining whether each of the identified addressable units should
be made available to the user. For example, criteria can be set
such that only a certain percentage of the identified addressable
units may become available to each user. This percentage may vary
depending on the market segment characteristics selected by the
user. For instance, some advertisers (users) prefer to broadcast
their advertisements to viewers who have high income. Therefore, if
the user has selected as part of the segment characteristics the
income greater than $50 K/yr, only a certain percentage (e.g., 10%)
of the identified addressable units with incomes over $50 K/yr may
become available to each such user so that different users can
address at least a portion of those addressable units assigned with
income greater than $50 K/yr. On the other hand, if the user has
selected a less desirable segment among advertisers in general,
e.g., subscribers with an income below $30 K/yr as part of the
user's segment characteristics, a higher percentage (e.g., 30%) of
the identified addressable units may become available to each such
user.
In accordance with one embodiment, this scheme may be implemented
by programming the module 10 to allow only a certain percentage of
the identified addressable units to become available to each user.
This percentage may be changed based on the purchase status of the
avails. For example, a high percentage number may be assigned if
the presentation time of the avail is near and the avail has not
been sold. For instance, the system may make available 100% of the
remaining identified addressable units to the user if only several
days remain until the presentation time of the avail in
question.
If, in Step S16, a determination is made that none of the
identified addressable units are available to the user, a report is
generated by the correlation & analysis module 10 indicating
the unavailability of the addressable units, i.e., the market
segment selected by the user, in Step S18. This report may be a
text report displayed to the user on the display device of the user
interface device 30. In view of the unavailability of the currently
selected market segment, the user is asked if he or she wishes to
select a different market segment in Step S20. This may be
accomplished by displaying a query text to the user on the display
device of the user interface device 30. If the user wishes to
select a new segment, the user may respond to the query text (e.g.,
by clicking a "yes" box) and the process returns to Step S10
wherein the screen for selecting the market segment characteristics
is displayed. Otherwise, the user may click a "no" box or the like,
and end the process. On the other hand, in Step S16, if the
correlation & analysis module 10 indicates that at least a
portion of the identified addressable units can be made available
to the user, then the correlation & analysis module 10 may
display a geographical map showing the locations of the available
addressable units on the display device of the user interface
device 30 in Step S22. In alternative embodiments, the identified
available addressable units can be communicated to the user in a
variety of different ways, e.g., by generating audio sounds through
the user interface device 30.
In Step S24, the user may have an option of proceeding with an
avail analysis for analyzing availability of avails in the avail
inventory. This option may be displayed on the display device of
the user interface device 30 for the user's selection. If the user
does not wish to proceed with the avail analysis (which may be
indicated by clicking a "no" button on the display device, for
example), the process proceeds to Step S20 and subsequent steps
discussed above, wherein the user has the option of selecting a
different market segment.
If, in Step S24, the user wishes to proceed with the avail analysis
(which may be indicated by clicking a "yes" or "avail analysis"
button on the display device, for example), then the process
proceeds to Step S26 shown in FIG. 2B. In Step S26, the correlation
& analysis module 10 correlates the available addressable unit
with the avail inventory data stored in the fourth database 24
using the TV program viewership data stored in the third database
23, to identify a list of available avails for the user's selected
market segment. This correlation may involve executing optimization
programs to select the most appropriate avails in view of the
selected market segment characteristics and available addressable
units.
In accordance with one embodiment, Step S26 may be implemented as
follows. The correlation & analysis module 10 may search the
third database 23 for the names or types of TV programs that the
viewers associated with the available addressable units tend to
watch. Since both the addressable units and the TV program viewing
habits can be identifiable by zip code+4 identifiers, the module 10
may look for TV programs associated with the zip code+4 of the
available addressable units, to identify the names or types of TV
programs that the viewers at the available addressable units tend
to watch. Unpurchased avails associated with the identified
subscribers or subscriber groups (e.g., nodes) and/or types of TV
programs are considered available avails for the identified
available addressable units.
In Step S27, if none of the avails are available (e.g., they are
all sold or other restrictions are applied), the method proceeds to
Step S18 for reporting unavailability of the selected market
segment and to subsequent steps as discussed above. On the other
hand, if at least minimum number of avails is available for
advertising, in Step S28, the identified available avails are
displayed to the user. For example, a list of avails and avail
descriptions (e.g., length of avail, channel associated with the
avail, and presentation time of avail) associated with the avails
may be shown on the display device of the user interface device 30.
In accordance with one embodiment, other information associated
with the avails, such as a base price for each of the available
avails, may be displayed on the display device. The base price for
each avail may be stored in the fifth database 25 and can be output
to the user without performing avail pricing analysis discussed
below. In accordance with another embodiment, a display of any
pricing information may occur after or as part of the avail pricing
analysis at a later step.
In Step S30, if the user desires avail pricing analysis, the method
proceeds to Step S32. The user can communicate this desire by a
number of different ways, e.g., by clicking or touching any button
on the computer screen designated for running avail pricing
analysis, or by speaking the command sounds. If the user does not
desire avail pricing analysis (which may be indicated, e.g., by
clicking a "no" button for avail pricing analysis), the process
returns to Step S20 and subsequent steps, wherein the user is
requested to select a different market segment.
In Step S32, the user may select parameters which determine or vary
the price of the available avails. Such parameters are referred to
herein as "price-setting" parameters, and may include, but are not
limited to, the size or a number of available avails selected by
the user, the size or a number of available addressable units
selected by the user, frequency of ad presentation selected by the
user, etc. That is, in accordance with one embodiment, the user
does not need to purchase all the identified available avails, but
may have an option of selecting a subset of the identified
available avails. For example, the user may select only a few
avails which are tied to specific programs or channels,
presentation time, etc. Similarly, the user may not want to address
all the identified available addressable units for displaying ads,
and has an option of selecting a subset of the identified available
addressable units. In one embodiment, the user may select a random
number of the identified available avails from the entire list, or
may select those of the identified available avails corresponding
to a particular geographical region or area. The prices for the
avails may vary depending on these selections. In accordance with
one embodiment, the display device of the user interface device 30
may show a screen with a list of the price-setting parameters. The
user may select one or more of the shown parameters, or type in the
desired price-setting parameters, which are then communicated back
to the correlation & analysis module 10.
In Step S32, a price determining program, which may reside in the
correlation & analysis module 10, is executed by the module 10.
Various types of price determining computer programs are well known
in the art, and can be used herein as long as they are modified in
accordance with the application of the present invention. Such
modifications would be apparent to one skilled in the field of
software programming.
In accordance with one embodiment, the price determining program
determines the price of the available avails in view of the user
selections made in Step S32 and other price determining factors,
e.g., size of subscriber audience selected by user, nature of
demographic traits selected by user (e.g., premium or highly
sought-after demographics such as high income versus less desirable
demographics), correlation indexes indicating the strengths of
correlations, frequency of purchases by the advertiser, application
of promotional discounts, scheduled presentation time or day part
for the avails selected by the user (e.g., higher price for evening
ads than early morning ads), programming network, status of
remaining avail inventory, etc. A list of different prices or price
adjustment data associated with the selections of the price-setting
parameters and the other price determining factors, may be stored
in and provided by the fifth database 25.
In accordance with one embodiment, the price determining program
may be configured to consider all the factors that can vary the
avail price, including the price-setting parameters. These factors
may be identified by the programming service provider in advance,
and may be written into the price determining program by a
programmer. The price determining program then calculates the price
of the selected avails in view of these factors using the pricing
data stored in the fifth database 25, and may output the results to
the user on the display device of the user interface device 30. In
one embodiment, the results of the pricing analysis may be overlaid
on the geographical map of the available addressable units
discussed in Step S22. In another embodiment, the results of the
pricing analysis may be displayed along with this geographical map
in one page. It should be understood that there exist numerous
different ways and techniques to display the results of the pricing
analysis, which may occur with or without the display of previous
correlation results.
In Step S36, if the user wishes to modify any of the price-setting
parameters (e.g., the user wants to select more avails), then the
method returns to Step S32 and subsequent steps, wherein the user
can select different price-setting parameters and receive pricing
analysis based on the selected parameters. In one embodiment, the
user can change the price-setting parameters as many times as
desired. If, in Step S36, the user does not wish to change the
currently selected price-setting parameters, then in Step S38 the
user has an option of purchasing the selected avails based on the
parameters and the price(s) identified in step S34. If the user
does not want to purchase the identified avails in Step 38, then
the method returns to Step S20 and subsequent steps discussed
above, wherein the user can select a different market segment. If,
however, the user wants to purchase the identified avails in Step
S38, then in Step S40 the user can communicate the purchase
decision to the user interface device 30, e.g., by clicking or
touching a button designated for executing purchase procedures. The
user interface device 30 communicates this purchase decision back
to the correlation & analysis module 10 which in turn performs
the purchase procedures. The purchase procedures may include, but
are not limited to, receiving payment information (e.g., name &
address of the purchaser, account number, credit information, etc.)
from the user through the user interface device 30, processing the
payment information (e.g., obtaining authorization from a credit
card company or an authentication agency), and communicating this
process to the user (e.g., displaying a payment confirmation page
or an error message). In one embodiment, on-line purchase
procedures that are well known in the art may be used herein.
One skilled in the art would readily appreciate that certain
variations or changes in the order of execution of the processing
steps shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B are possible as part of the
invention. For example, instead of selecting the market segment and
then correlating available addressable units with avail inventory
to identify available avails, the user may have an option of first
selecting TV programs, program types, channels, time slots (day
part and channel) or any combination thereof, and then selecting
the market segment, which can be correlated with the previous
selections.
Furthermore, different parts of the system or databases may be
available to different users such that, if desired, only a portion
of the system or analyses may be accessible to a certain user. For
example, avail pricing and avail inventory database and/or analyses
may be available only to network sales representatives and not to
the advertisers.
FIG. 3 shows one example of a screen displaying a list of market
segment characteristics selectable by the user for defining his or
her market segment, as discussed in Step S10 of FIG. 2A. As shown
in FIG. 3, the screen may identify different age brackets,
gender/sex, children status, income brackets, occupation, household
size, martial status, and race/ethnic background. Other segment
characteristics or a different combination of the characteristics
shown in FIG. 3 can be included in the screen.
FIG. 4 shows one example of a screen displaying a geographical map
of the available addressable units, as discussed in Step S22 of
FIG. 2A. As shown in FIG. 4, the map may identify the regions
wherein those available subscribers or groups of available
subscribers (i.e., addressable units) having the user-selected
segment characteristics reside. This map may be modified to show
different aspects of the available addressable units or to
highlight different aspects of the geography. For example, by
clicking different boxes or input areas 40 shown on the screen, the
user can zoom in and out of the map, and may view the county
boundaries, latitude/longitude lines, roads, matching available
subscribers data, or matching available nodes of subscribers.
The present invention provides a system, computer code and method
by which the advertisers can (1) define advertiser-preferred market
segment, (2) receive analyses of the market segment, avail
inventory, and avail pricing, and (3) purchase avails, through an
interaction with a user interface device such as a PC. The present
invention is applicable to any system or network that offers sale
of avails. For example, the present invention may be used in
conjunction with a queue-based advertisement insertion system which
is the subject matter of related co-pending application, U.S. Ser.
No. 09/712,790, filed on Nov. 14, 2000, (entitled "Queue Based
Advertisement Scheduling And Sales", invented by Charles A.
Eldering and Gregory Flickinger and owned by the same assignee of
the present invention, which is herein fully incorporated by
reference. In this related application, modern television service
systems, including, e.g., SDV, DBS, digital cable, or VDSL systems,
are configured to perform ad selection and ad insertion at the
individual subscriber's device, such as a STB, such that designated
ads are inserted into the avails of the channel/program that the
subscriber is currently watching, no matter what the channel or
program may be. Ads are no longer linked to any particular
advertisement spot in any particular program. Therefore, a virtual
roadblock can be set up whereby the subscriber will receive the
designated ads in the designated order as avails occur in whatever
programming he or she is viewing, regardless of the channel,
program or time of day. By applying the present invention in such
systems, a highly more effective and automated targeted advertising
system arises, which enhances the entire advertising process from
the point of sale of avails to the display of ads to the
subscribers.
Moreover, the present invention may be used in conjunction with any
other types of network systems. For example, the present invention
may be used in conjunction with an advertisement insertion system
such as disclosed in aforementioned PCT Patent Publication No. WO
99/66719 entitled "Techniques for Intelligent Video Ad
Insertion."
Accordingly, the present invention allows computer-management and
sale of avails for a television programming service network or the
like. It provides tools by which any advertiser can quickly assess
avail availability and avail pricing for advertising to individuals
in the advertiser-preferred market segment. Further, it expedites
the avail sale and scheduling process, which conveniences the
advertisers. As a result, the present invention provides a more
effective avail management system and method that is useful and
beneficial to both advertisers and TV programming service
networks.
Having thus described a few particular embodiments of the
invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements
will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations,
modifications and improvements as are made obvious by this
disclosure are intended to be part of this description though not
expressly stated herein, and are intended to be within the spirit
and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description
is by way of example only, and not limiting. The invention is
limited only as defined in the following claims and equivalents
thereto.
* * * * *
References